Gaming style cases tend to place cooling above all other things, so they are
usually very large and equipped with plenty of fans. They are also typically
very sturdy and have a few nice touches, little things that make adding/removing
components and cleaning up cable clutter easier. These qualities also make them
fairly expensive, with many going for well over $150.

The box.

The Inwin Maelstrom is one of the few affordable gaming cases, available on
line for $100. It is tall and deep, and ships with four fans including a large
22cm model on the side, so cooling doesn't seem like it would be an issue, though
it probably lacks the refinement of higher-end cases from manufacturers like
Antec and Silverstone. That much is obvious from the image on the box, which
we are sad to report, is pretty much dead-on. The Maelstrom is perhaps the ugliest
case we've had the displeasure of setting our eyes upon.

The Inwin Maelstrom.

The front bezel juts out in all directions and has two green bars resembling
the steps you might climb when serving on a submarine or fixing a sewer. It
seems to make a perfect handhold for the case, but there is actually a small
warning label that discourages that idea. It's something that could be easily
overlooked as the print is small, and the black and yellow hazard stripes look
right at home with the case's aesthetics which evokes the image of a dangerous
industrial environment. The motif has a radioactive flare given the conspicuous
fluorescent yellow grommets on the side fan and interior fan blades, all of
which are undoubtedly UV reactive. It is noticeably sturdy though so if we had
to use one word to describe the Maelstrom would be beastly 
both negative and positive connotations apply.

Accessories.

The accessories include a bag of screws and standoffs, a pair of 3-pin to 4-pin
molex adapters for the included 120mm fans, two extra spacers for the power
supply, and an additional thumbscrew in case you lose one of the four that secure
the side panels. There's also a small PC speaker, and two plastic hooks for
cleaning up cable clutter. Hidden inside the case is a caddy in the 5.25"
bay that holds tool-less drive rails.